


we've all got bad habits (mine just happens to be adopting aliens)

by C1ashi1dr



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence: The Tsuranga Conundrum, Crack, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Established Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan, F/F, Post-Episode: s11e05 The Tsuranga Conundrum, Pting!Au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23941963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C1ashi1dr/pseuds/C1ashi1dr
Summary: After a little persuasion, the Doctor manages to convince Yaz to adopt the Pting. Chaos, inevitably ensuesa series of vignettes of the Doctor and Yaz caring for their adopted child, Tim the Pting, before relocating him
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor & The Fam, Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	we've all got bad habits (mine just happens to be adopting aliens)

**Author's Note:**

> So this came from [this tumblr post i made](https://joanwolfe.tumblr.com/post/616500565823864832/thirteen-yaz-adopt-pting-au) (psst, come check me out [@joanwolfe](https://joanwolfe.tumblr.com/) because i make a lot of thasmin content) and it quickly evolved into this little au. So i really hope y'all like it. i don't own doctor who and this is unbeta'd (unless google docs counts as a beta?) so i'm sorry for all the mistakes. enjoy!

"No, we cannot keep him." Yaz's voice was firm, even as the Doctor crouched down next to the Pting. She'd just let it out of the airlock and, for once, it sat contentedly on the floor. In fact, if the Doctor didn't know any better, she'd call the thing sleepy, it's big eyes starting to close ever so slowly. 

"I didn't even ask," the Doctor replied, doing her best to keep the whine out of her voice. She had found that her girlfriend would only shake her head fondly in the presence of whining, not actually comply with the Doctor's wishes. Yaz didn’t like whining. "But it's got nowhere to go." 

"An' you think the TARDIS would be the best place for it?" Yaz asked. "It would make a right mess of things, eating and such."

"We just fed it a bomb, it won't be hungry for a very long time. No risk to the TARDIS," the Doctor turned about then, looking directly at Yaz with what she hoped were very good pleading eyes. She'd not yet had a chance to try out these eyes yet, with the whole pleading thing. She hoped they did well. "Just for a bit, we'll find it a good place to stay where it can get enough food to last it a lifetime." 

With triumph, the Doctor watched the conflict pass over Yaz's face, until finally it softened when the Pting fell over in a little heap, snoring lightly. Even cold-hearted Yaz had to find it adorable, and she sank to her knees beside the Doctor, moving slowly so as to not disturb the creature.

She stared at it for a long moment, the Doctor nervously biting her lip while waiting on the verdict. If Yaz didn't want it aboard the TARDIS, she wouldn't bring it on, but she was really hoping to see a little compassion from her companion.

"Fine," Yaz said. "Just keep it away from my room." The Doctor grinned. Another victory.

Carefully, she donned some gloves and scooped the Pting up and trailed along behind Yaz back to the TARDIS. The boys would be so excited.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"His name is Tim," the Doctor announced the next morning over breakfast. Well, as breakfast as it could be when it was just Yaz and the Doctor who were awake. The boys had gone to bed early while Yaz and the Doctor had set up for the Pting-Tim-the night before and it appeared they'd be sleeping well into the morning.

"Tim?" Yaz muttered, brain a fair bit behind on words. She set about making some tea, eyes half closed. "Why Tim?"

"That's what he told me," the Doctor said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. Maybe it was for her. "Last night, after you went to bed. We had a nice long talk, Tim and I. Laid out some rules, the things you always wanna do with guests. Introductions and all that. And he told me he wanted to be called Tim."

"You've had things like that before then, on the TARDIS? Pets?" Yaz asked, retrieving a mug as the water started to boil. 

"What do you think you lot are?" 

"Watch it," Yaz warned, brandishing a spoon in perhaps the least threatening way she could. There was a teasing glint in hazel eyes as the Doctor dodged away. 

"Tim doesn't threaten me with spoons!" she announced before disappearing from the kitchen, coat fluttering out behind her. Yaz shook her head, fixing her tea before strolling over to the room that the Doctor and her had set up for Tim. 

Inside, the Doctor was sitting on the ground, legs crossed, her coat thrown over the back of a chair, sleeves rolled up, the image of beauty. She gently spoke to Tim, handing him small objects that Yaz could only assume were toys, though she'd never be positive about it. Her eyes were soft and Yaz watched from the doorway, presence unknown to the two.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Alright Fam, I think some ground rules regarding Tim are going to be best." The Doctor stood in the entertainment room in front of the telly. Her hands were braced on her hips as she stared down at the three of them. Yaz was tucked under a blanket, thoroughly convinced that she would be doing movie night without her girlfriend and only just getting over it. 

"Right, well, get on with it. We were watching a film, Doc," Graham said, pressing the pause on the remote. The Doctor nodded, plopping down on the ground in front of the telly without any preamble. 

"Dunno if you lot remember, but his skin is very toxic to most organic things. Almost forgot that m'self, but managed to remember before I touched him. So it'd be best if you just let him roam about, don’t touch him. He listens pretty well, you just gotta be polite. If you've gotta touch him, there'll be a pair of gloves. The TARDIS is going to try to keep him in one spot while we try and find him a new place to live."

"So you brought a toxic alien aboard the TARDIS?" Ryan asked. "Better hope it doesn't eat anything important."

"Keep it away from the kitchen," Graham said, grumpily. "Don't want to lose another kettle." The first three had been lost to the Doctor's meddling before she’d been banned from anything more than picking it up and moving it around the kitchen. Even then she got suspicious looks.

"The TARDIS isn't happy, no, but she's cooperating. She's not cruel," the Doctor said, and was starting to get to her feet before Yaz fixed her with a look. It was a demand for cuddles, for the company of her girlfriend and the presence of her friend. After a few long moments, contemplation in the Doctor's eyes, the alien gave in and flopped onto the couch next to them, nodding at Graham to keep playing the movie. She cuddled up next to Yaz, tucking herself under the blanket and against Yaz’s side, sighing in contentment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So what do you even feed a Pting?" Yaz asked, leaning against the counter in the kitchen. She was staring at the Doctor, fixing herself a cup of tea (if it could even be called that. It'd be more accurate to say she was fixing lukewarm sugar sludge) while she hummed quietly. 

"Like I said," the Doctor declared, turning around, cradling the mug. "Don't need to feed him, not for a while. That bomb he ate is going to keep Tim very happy for a very long time. But it would probably be good to feed him some batteries or something. Little things so he can drain the energy from them but nothing big enough to be worrying." She grinned at Yaz. "But let me take care of him. I'm the one who brought him aboard."

"I never see you anymore, though," Yaz said, fighting to keep the whine out of her voice. "You're always with Tim and until we find the planet that fits everything you want of it, I don't think I'm gonna see anymore of you." She pouted, knowing full well what the expression did to the Doctor. "So tell me about how to take care of him. Maybe I can help?"

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded frantically. "Alright, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. A great idea, actually. I'll teach you all there is to know about taking care of someone like Tim!" She gripped Yaz's hand tightly and tugged her towards Tim's room, tea forgotten on the counter in her haste.

As it turned out, taking care of Tim was a bit harder than the Doctor had led them to believe, though that may have been because the Doctor insisted that Yaz take several safety precautions, more than she ever did. Long rubber gloves that almost reached her shoulders, thick soled boots and even a face mask, all measures that the Doctor completely ignored.

"Make sure you don’t touch him," the Doctor reminded her. "Can't have Yaz getting hurt." She gave that goofy grin before opening the door. "I'm back, Tim."

Yaz walked as well as she could, closing the door behind her. Tim was sitting on the floor, where he'd made a little nest for himself. He looked almost peaceful, which was a strange word to describe the creature she'd, one she’d never thought to use up until that moment. 

"Okay, I've been feeding him just little bits and pieces here. Not really with energy in them, I don't think he's ready for that but-"

"Be quiet, Doctor," Yaz said, wanting to enjoy the moment. "We'll figure it out in a moment."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day of parting had come and Yaz found herself feeling properly sad. She'd grown attached to Tim, to the little chatter of excitement he gave when she came to give him his bowl of batteries each morning (morning?) to the Doctor's insistence that he accompany them when they went to peaceful planets. It was a sad farewell, but they'd found him a junkyard planet, full of dying power sources and enough food to last him until he died.

"I guess this is goodbye, little guy," the Doctor said, crouching on the threshold of the TARDIS. Tim was staring at her, head cocked to the side. "This is your new home, should be plenty of food for you. You might even be able to make some friends, but don't eat the rats' homes. They get very cross when you do that."

"Is it bad I want to give it a hug?" Ryan asked from the console room. He and Graham had taken a passive role in taking care of Tim, most of the time replacing Yaz when the situation called for it. They'd not expressed as much interest in it and the Doctor hadn't pursued the topic, at least not when Yaz had been there. "Gonna miss the little guy."

"I think we all are, son," Graham said, nodding sagely. Yaz looked back at them, giving a grateful smile. "We should probably leave Yaz and the Doc to it, seeing as they were far more attached then we were." They receded to the depths of the TARDIS, leaving the Doctor and Yaz alone with Tim.

"Got anything you want to say to him?" the Doctor asked, looking at her. Her hazel eyes shimmered in the low light, but Yaz shook her head.

"Dunno what to say," she replied shortly. 

And then Tim was gone, a few more chattered burbles and he was tottering off for the next thing to consume. The Doctor and Yaz remained there, watching him go with thinly veiled sadness. 

"The TARDIS wasn't a good place for him anyway," the Doctor said after a long moment. It sounded hollow to Yaz, like a reassurance a parent would give, one they didn’t quite believe. The Doctor certainly didn’t sound like she believed it. "He was getting restless, wanted to move about and I couldn't let him get out because I didn't want him to hurt the TARDIS." She sighed. "Still sad to see him go. Gonna miss having him around."

Yaz remained silently, instead tucking herself against the Doctor's side when the alien stood up. Tim was already gone, disappearing into a pile of junk and it was just Yaz, the Doctor, and the TARDIS humming gently behind them.

"Yaz?" 

"Yeah, Doctor?"

"D'you think we could get a cat?"

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to leave a comment or a kudos, they always make my day. if you want to drop me a prompt, go check out my tumblr and leave me an ask there. i'd love to do anything for thasmin or doctor who in general :) 
> 
> i also do textpost edits that i find hilarious but are probably trash. anyway, have a good day/night/whatever time it is for you, stay safe, and wash your hands!


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